Platform-indicator.



' o.- J. KINTNER.

PLATFORM INDICATOR. APPLICATION FILED FEB.14,1913.

Patented Nov. 25, 1913.

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CHARLES J. KINTNER/or NEW YORK, 1v. Y.

PLATFORM-INDICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 25, 1913.

Application filed February 14, 1913. Serial No. 748,354.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES J. KINTNER, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of New York, borough of Manhattan,

county and State of New York, have made a new and useful Invention inPlatform- Indicators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has an especial utility in connection with platforms orstations adjacent to curves on lines of railways where it is impossibleto entirely close the space between the platform and the cars, owing tothe curvature of said platform. Under these conditions, where the curvesare relatively short, no pro-vision has yet been made to preventaccidents due to the space between the doors of the cars and theplatform.

My invention consists in means for attracting the attention of thepassengers to this space and enabling them, therefore, to avoid thedanger. I-Ieretofore attention has been called to this danger bypermanently illuminating, with a series of incandescent or other lights,the space underneath the edge of the platform and the bottoms of thecars, and employees of roads are iiistructed to caution passengers withregard to this danger; however, notwithstanding this fact accidentsoften occur. Also where lights are used beneath the platform they arealways left in circuit during the night-- time when the road is aboveground and on roads which are located in subways these lights are leftglowing all the time, so that the expense is very great.

The present invention is designed to overcome these troubles by the useof the apparatus hereinafter described and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a curvedportion of an electric railway showing diagrammatically the railwayrails, third rail, an electrically propelled car standing at the stationand dynamo for generating the current, together with my improvementlocated underneath a platform, shown in plan view, the latter partlybroken away. Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of one form ofapparatus by which I call the attention of passengers to the danger.Fig. 3 is an enlarged end elevational view as seen looking at Fig. 1from left to right; and Fig.

4 is an enlarged diagrammatic View, illustrating my improved apparatus.

Referring now to the drawings in detail in all of which like numeralsrepresent like or equivalent parts wherever used, 1 represents theplatform of a railway station, partly broken away at the right-handcorner, said platform being curved, as shown, to correspond with thecurvature of the tram rails 3. 2 represents a tram-car adjacent to saidplatform with my invention in operation.

4 represents aflexible metal curved contact rail located closelyadjacent to the outer curved tram rail 3 and supported upon any wellknown form of insulators 5 which in turn are rigidly secured to a curvedinsulating timber 6 secured in turn to the ties of the track. 7represents the third rail similarly insulated in the usual manner andparallel with the track.

8, 8, represent the tram-wheels and 9, 9 the axles of a tram-ear. V

10 represents a motor and 11 the controller therefor, these mattersbeing well understood by those versed in the art.

12 12 represent two parallel insulated conductors located under the edgeof the platform and conforming to the curvature thereof.

13 represents a parallel insulated conductor similar to the conductor12, and 14 represents a conductor running from the inside conductor 12to the flexible contact rail 1. 15 represents another insulatedconductor running from the outside conductor 12 to the third rail 7.

16 represents the usual insulated conductor running to the motor 10 froma movable contact shoe l7 resting upon the third rail 7 connected withthe dynamo 10.

18 represents a plurality of protecting or inclosing boxes or casingsfor protecting a like number of electric motors 20 located in multiplecircuit with the conductors 13, 12.

19 represents a plurality of electric lamps, preferablyincandescent,located between the conductors 12 and preferably under theedge of the platform. s

21 represents a phonograph cylinder driven by the motor 20 and inclosedin the casing 18, and 22 is a sound intensifying horn, such as are usedwith machines of this type. 24 and 2 1 represents switches (see Fig. 3)for connecting or disconnecting the lamps and the motors from circuit.25 rep resents a phonographic record of well known form with theexception that the record is placed upon this cylinder in direct orparallel lines, preferably four or five. In instruments of this type, asusually devised, the small end of the sound intensifying horn 22, therepeating diaphragm, and stylus are moved together by a screw over therecord from end to end of the cylinder 21. As this phragm for succeedingrecords when one'ofi them becomes damaged. This repeated record be thewords WVatch your step a well known expression which train-men use inconnectionwith trains when they enter stations, when the distance fromthe platform to the car is such that there is danger of passengersmisstepping and injuring.

themselves.

26 represents a switch in the conductor 15 and 27 an additionalconductor shown in dotted lines Fig. 3 and connected directly to thetram rail 3; 28 being a storage battery or other source of'electricalenergy. It is the function of this switch and storage hat I tery to usethe invention on railway lines which are not run by electricity, aswhere steam cars run, or where steam cars or cars propelled by anysource of energy are used; this source of electrical energy takes theplace of the dynamo 10 used with electrically propelled cars.

. The operation of the device is as follows: Solong as a car or train ofcars is relatively distant from a station the lamps 19 and electricmotors 20 are without current and are, therefore, not wasting energy;but when a train approaches and the flanges of the wheels 8 of the carsenter between the tram rail 3 and flexible contact rail 4: immediatelythe circuit is closed, as will be understood on inspection of thecircuits, and all of the lamps 19 are lighted; at the same time all ofthe motors 20 are set in operation and the phonograph 21 rotated, sothat the record 25 produces,.through the horn, the words F Watch yourstep over and over again during the time that the train or car remainsin the station. When the wheels pass out to the right or left of coursethe current is immediately disrupted and the lamps 19 and motors 20 areout of circuit, so that with this arrangement I produce. an apparatuswhich is capable of giving both visual and audible signals which aresimilar to existing modes of alarm, with the exception that the audiblesignals are surely produced and at all times when a car or train standsat the station, and immediately discontinued when it leaves the same.Vith the addition of a battery 28 in the circuit 27, and the switch 26,I am enabled to provide means for producing these results for ordinaryrailway cars driven by steam gasolene, storage batteries, or any othersource of power; or, I am enabled to use this device'on any type ofrailway cars. It is obvious that with the switches 24 and 24 I can cutout either the motors 20 or the lamps 19 thus leaving stations which arelocated outdoors without the use of the light in day-time, and with theuse of the phonograph at that time. I am also enabled to use bothtogether by properly regulating the switches at night time.

My invention also has an especial utility in connection with railwayslocated in subways, tunnels, and kindred places where it is customary tomaintain a system of lamps burning or glowing continuously, in that itis adapted to be utilized, as will be appre ciated, only during the timethat a car or train is passing therethrough, thereby greatly decreasingthe expense.

I am aware that it has heretofore been proposed to accomplish theresults which are accomplished by my invention by providing a source ofelectrical energy, and a series of translating devices, as electriclamps, at a station, and a plurality of electromagnetic or otherswitches which are operated by a train as it enters a station so as tocut the lamps or translating devices into circuit with a source ofelectrical energy and to cut them out again as it leaves the station,and I make no claim hereinafter to include such a structure, as myinvention is distinctly limited to any kind of translating device forgiving either visualor audible indication of the presence of a car ortrain by connecting the circuit of a source of electrical energy theretothrough either one or both of the tram rails, the wheels of a car and aparallel yielding conducting rail which is connected electricallydirectly to the translating devices and with a source of electrical energ my invention having only one point where the circuit is closed fromthe generator to the translating devices; namely, through the tram rail,the wheels and their flanges and the flexible contact rail, the natureof these conducting parts being such that they will always assure thepassage of the current because of the burnishing effect of the carwheels and the flanges thereof upon the tram rail and the flexiblecontact rail.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States is 1. In a railway system aplatform, electrical translating devices located below said platform andnear the edge thereof, a pair of tram rails adjacent thereto, and one ormore cars adapted to pass over said tram rails; together with anelectrical generator, electrical circuits, and a flexible contact railadjacent to one of the tram rails for automatically closing the circuitof the generator through the translating devices and the wheels andflanges of the car during the time that it remains in close proximity tothe station, substantially as described.

2. In a railway system a platform, a pair of tram rails adjacentthereto, a car or train adapted to pass over said tram rails inproximity to said platform, translating devices located under theplatform for attracting attention, an electrical generator and circuitsand circuit connections embracing one of the tram rails, the car wheelsand a flexible contact rail for causing said translating devices tooperate automatically during the time that any portion of the car ortrain remains in proximity to the platform, substantially as described.

3. In a railway system a pair of curved tram rails, a platform havingits adjacent edge to the rails curved to correspond there with, one ormore electrical translating devices located between the platform and thetram rails, a source of electrical energy, circuits and circuit,connections between the translating devices and the generator, and aflexible contact rail adjacent to one of the tram rails forautomatically closing the circuit from the generator through thetranslating devices and the wheels and flanges of the car during theentire time that the car or train remains adjacent thereto, thegenerator being connected with its negative pole to the tram rails,substantially as described.

4. In a railway system a flexible contact rail adjacent to one of thetrack rails, a plurality of translating devices, a source of electricalenergy having its negative pole connected to the track rails and itspositive pole connected to said translating devices, which devices arein turn electrically connected to the flexible contact rail, thearrangement being such that when the wheels of a car or train makecontact with the flexible rail the translating devices will be energizedand the current will flow from the generator through the translatingdevices to the flexible contact rail, through the flanges and faces ofthe wheels and the track rail, back to the generator, substantially asdescribed.

5. In a railway system a flexible contact Copies of this patent may beobtained for five cents each, by addressing the Washington, I). G.

rail adjacent to one of the track rails, a plurality of electric lamps,a source of electrical energy having its negative pole connected to thetrack rails and its positive pole connected to said electric lamps,which lamps are in turn electrically connected to the flexible contactrail, the arrangements being such that when the wheels of a car or trainmake contact with the flexible rail the electric lamps will be energizedand the current will flow from the generator through the electric lampsto the flexible contact rail, through the flanges and faces of thewheels and the track rail, back to the generator, substantially asdescribed.

6. In a railway system a flexible contact rail adjacent to one of thetrack rails, a-plurality of visual and audible translating devices, asource of electrical energy having its positive pole connected inmultiple to the translating devices and its negative to one of the trackrails; together with switches for connecting either or both sets oftranslating devices in circuit, and means for closing the circuitthrough said flexible contact rail, the arrangement being such that whenthe wheels of a car or train make contact with the flexible rail thetranslating devices will be energized and the current will flow from thegenerator through the translating devices to the flexible contact rail,through the flanges and faces of the wheels and the track rail, back tothe generator, substantially as described.

7. In a railway system a pair of tram rails, an insulated flexiblecontact rail adjacent to one of said tram rails, a source of electricalenergy having its negative pole connected to one or both of said tramrails, electrically actuated indicating means for giving warning of thepresence of a car within the distance occupied by the contact rail, andelectrical connections between the flexible and tram rails includingwheels and flanges thereof, whereby said wheels and flanges make circuitthrough the indicating means each time a car enters upon and remainswith the wheels and flanges in circuit with the tram rail and theadjacent contact rail, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES J. KINTNER.

Commissioner of Patents,

